Danny Nathavijya, senior geologist at the Geotechnical Research Center at the Indonesian Science Institute, says everything we know about the origins of our civilization may be wrong.
“The ancient stories of Atlanteans and other great lost civilizations of the prehistoric era, which have long been considered myths, are becoming more and more like the truth,” he says.
Dr. Natavijya examined a 100-meter step pyramid located in a mountain valley several hundred kilometers from the city of Bandun in West Java, Indonesia.
This pyramid has been known to archaeologists since 1914, when megalithic structures of pillar basalt were found amid the jungle on top of a local mountain. Local aborigines consider this complex sacred and call it Gunung Padang, which means "Mountain of Light" or "Mountain of Enlightenment". The top of the mountain, around which ancient megaliths are located on five tiers, has been used as a place of meditation since time immemorial.
However, neither archaeologists nor local residents knew that this pyramid was in fact a pyramid. It was believed to be a natural hill, slightly altered by human activity, until Natavijya and his team began geological exploration in 2011.
By that time, the top of the mountain had long been cleared of vegetation and the megalithic terraces were considered man-made and extremely ancient - however, they were never subjected to radiocarbon analysis and their true age was unknown.
Promotional video:
The first radiocarbon dating of surface megaliths was carried out by Natavijya himself and showed an interval from 500 to 1500 BC. However, when they were able to get samples from much deeper layers with the help of drilling rigs, they were in for a surprise.
First, the extracted samples - pillar basalt particles - showed that other man-made megalithic structures are located deep underground. Secondly, organic materials in the samples obtained showed more and more ancient dating as we went deeper - 3000-5000 years, then 9600, then 11000, then 15000, and finally, from a depth of 30 meters, samples of 22000 years old and more were obtained …
